


won't you be my neighbor?

by XOLove47



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Dogs, Domestic Fluff, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Meet-Cute, Neighbors, Tacos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:54:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26346700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XOLove47/pseuds/XOLove47
Summary: When someone new moves into her building, Daisy figures the new guy will be like the rest of her neighbors -- someone she says hi to by the mailboxes or makes awkward small talk with in the elevator. After all, it's not like he's her type.Turns out she couldn't be more wrong.[Dousy + Neighbors AU]
Relationships: Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 11
Kudos: 112





	won't you be my neighbor?

Daisy loved her apartment building. When she had moved to LA, she had trouble finding a place and was about to give up and just live in a van when she found the perfect one bedroom in a beautiful old art deco style building. It had tons of natural light, gorgeous hardwood floors and most importantly, it felt like a home-- which, for someone who bounced around the foster system for her whole life, was a big deal.

Over the last three years, lots of neighbors had come and gone. So as Daisy walked up the street one Saturday morning after picking up a cold brew from her favorite coffee shop, seeing a moving truck outside barely registered.

The man unloading boxes from the truck  _ did _ catch her eye, though. Dark hair, muscular, clean-cut-- he was undoubtedly attractive, but not at all Daisy’s usual type. She tended to be drawn to the stereotypical bad boy, not the All-American, boy next door. 

Shrugging it off and taking a sip of her iced coffee, she crossed the small lobby to the elevator. It was original to the building and as a result, moved fairly slowly. But still, it was better than having to climb four flights of stairs everyday.

Finally the elevator arrived, but just as the doors were starting to close, someone called out, “Can you hold that for me?”

Sticking her arm out to stop the elevator door, it bounced back open to reveal the man from outside standing there, holding a large box labeled “KITCHEN” in big black letters.

“Thanks,” he said, readjusting the box in his hands.

“What floor? Looks like you got your hands full.”

“5, please.”

“Moving in?” Daisy asked, cringing internally at the obviousness of her question. She hated small talk. 

“Was it the moving boxes that gave me away?” the man chuckled good-naturedly. “Yeah, just got relocated from New York. Gotta say, big fan of the California weather so far.”

Before she could respond, the elevator pinged and the doors opened up to the fourth floor.

“This is me,” Daisy said, as she shuffled out of the elevator. “Anyway, welcome to the west coast -- and the building!”

She smiled and gave an awkward wave, before the elevator doors closed.

As she walked to her apartment door, Daisy shook her head and muttered to herself, “Get it together, Johnson.” 

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, Daisy had seen the new guy a handful of times -- by the mailboxes, in the elevator-- but hadn’t caught his name yet.

Then, one day, she was in the lobby when out of the corner of her eye she spotted a dog running free, leash flapping behind them.

Behind her someone yelled, “Penny, stop!”

The dog stopped on a dime right in front of her. Daisy let the dog sniff her hand before squatting down to scratch her head, “Aren’t you a good girl?”

“I don’t know about that. She’s been quite the troublemaker so far,” Penny’s owner, who had finally caught up with her, said. 

Daisy turned her head and saw her new neighbor standing there.

Daisy smiled and whispered conspiratorially to the dog, as she gave her a belly rub, “Don’t listen to him, Penny. The best girls always cause a little bit of trouble. Isn’t that right, girl?”

Penny yelped happily and licked her hand in response.

“Guess I’ve been overruled,” the man replied. “I didn’t get to introduce myself the other day. I’m Daniel-- and you’ve already met Penny.”

Daisy scrambled to her feet so she was at eye level with Daniel instead of the dog, “Nice to officially meet you both. I’m Daisy.”

“Likewise.”

“So did you just get Penny? I see where she gets her name from-- the copper in her fur is beautiful,” Daisy said, patting her brindle coat.

“Yeah, I adopted her from the shelter up the street a few days ago. I figured since I was living alone and don’t really know anybody out here yet, getting a dog to keep me company would be a good idea.”

So he  _ was _ single. Daisy filed that information away for future reference, “Sounds like a smart plan to me. How’s it going so far?”

“Great. She’s a sweetheart-- even if she’s a bit energetic. But that’s to be expected with a puppy. And if I’m being honest, coming home to that face makes it all worth it.”

Sensing that they were talking about her, Penny barked and pulled at her leash.

“Speaking of which, she really does need to go for a walk…”

Daisy waved him off, “Go, go. I’m sure I’ll see you two around.”

Daniel smiled, “Count on it.”

* * *

A few days later, Daisy was running late for work. Dumping her coffee into a thermos, she rushed out the door. Pressing the down button, she waited for the old elevator impatiently.

Of course the elevator would be moving as slow as molasses today of all days. She pressed the button again and tapped out a reply to an email on her phone.

When the elevator finally dinged, she walked through the door without looking up from her phone and slammed into something solid. The coffee cup in her hand went flying.

Looking up, she realized she had walked right into Daniel, who was now covered in her coffee. Even more embarrassingly, her hand was still awkwardly resting on his chest. 

Blushing as she pulled her hand back, Daisy stammered, “Oh god, I’m so sorry. I’m such a klutz.”

“We got to stop running into each other like this,” Daniel laughed. “Honestly, it’s no big deal. I should have been paying more attention.”

The elevator dinged again and the pair stepped out into the lobby.

“Still, I feel bad about ruining your shirt,” Daisy said, gesturing at the blue dress shirt that now had a big dark stain on it.

“It’s not a big deal. I’ll just run back upstairs and get changed. No harm, no foul.” 

A light bulb went off in Daisy’s head and she blurted out, “Give me your phone.”

Daniel furrowed his brow at the non sequitur, but handed her his phone anyway. 

Daisy tapped a few buttons and handed the phone back to him, “There. I added my number to your contacts. Send me your dry cleaning bill.”

“Honestly, that’s not necessary--”

“I insist,” Daisy interrupted. “And I hate to hit and run, but I was already running super late before this happened. I have a client presentation to prep for and if I’m late again, my boss is going to kill me.”

Before Daniel could say anything else, she darted out the door and booked it to work. 

* * *

Daisy looked at the clock. How was it already 2:00? And more to the point, how had she made it that far into the day with no caffeine? 

As she contemplated a mid-afternoon Starbucks run, her phone buzzed. 

_ Hey, it’s Daniel. Just wanted to check in and make sure that you made it through the day  _ 😉

Daisy smiled at the message and typed back,  _ It was a close call, but I survived. I appreciate the concern though. Or maybe you’re just really concerned about your dry cleaning bill?? _

Daisy’s phone pinged again.

_ About that-- since you seem dead set on making it up to me, I wanted to propose an alternative solution. _

That got Daisy’s attention.  _ oh really? what’s that? _

_ How about dinner instead? _

At this point, Daisy’s heart was hammering out of her chest as she replied,  _ Like a date? _

_ That depends. _

She shook her head and grinned, _ On what? _

_ If you’re saying yes… _

_ …yes. BUT under one condition-- I get to pick the place. Oh, and I’m buying. _

She didn’t have to wait long for Daniel’s reply. 

_ You drive a hard bargain (technically that’s two conditions), but you’ve got a deal. Does this Saturday work for you? _

_ yes!! meet you in the lobby at 7? _

_ Sounds great! _

Daisy put the phone down on her desk, practically vibrating with excitement. She turned her attention back to her work, coffee run abandoned. Who needed caffeine anyway? The high she was feeling right now would fuel her through the rest of her day.

* * *

7:00 on Saturday rolled around and Daisy and Daniel met up in the lobby as planned.

“Hey,” Daniel greeted her with a smile.

Daisy waved and rocked back on her heels a bit, “Hey.”

“You look great,” Daniel complimented her.

Daisy ducked her head and blushed, “Thanks. You do too.”

Daniel gestured to the door with his head, “Should we get going?”

Heading outside, Daisy nodded in the direction of a black SUV parked on the street and asked, “Mind if I drive?”

“Not at all, considering I don’t have a car yet,” Daniel replied. He opened the driver’s side door for Daisy, before hopping in the passenger seat, “So where are we heading?”

Turning the key in the ignition, Daisy said with a twinkle in her eye, “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

On the short drive, Daisy and Daniel covered a lot of the typical first date topics, things like what brought them to L.A., what they did for a living, and their favorite music and movies. The conversation flowed naturally and they quickly found that they had a lot in common.

Daisy got off the freeway and made a few quick turns, when suddenly, in a seemingly industrial part of town, she came to a stop.

“Ta-da! We’re here.” Daisy announced triumphantly. 

Taking in his surroundings, Daniel furrowed his brow, “A tire shop?”

Daisy rolled her eyes, “No, the best tacos in the city!”

“From a tire shop parking lot?” Daniel confirmed.

“Yes. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it,” Daisy said, punctuating her point with a jab of her finger. “I’m telling you, these tacos are life-changing.”

Daniel still looked skeptical, but got in line with Daisy. As they waited, the pair continued their conversation from the car.

When they neared the front of the line, Daisy turned to Daniel and asked, “So do you want to order for yourself or do you want me to order for the both of us?”

Daniel shook his head, “Why don’t you order for us? I trust you.”

“Perfect, I was hoping you’d say that,” Daisy said. She placed their order, “We’ll have six carne asada tacos con todo, three chorizo vampiros and a quesadilla mixta. Oh and two pineapple refrescas.”

The cashier gave Daisy the total and she handed over a $20 bill.

“That’s a lot of food,” Daniel commented, as they slid over to the pick up area.

Daisy arched an eyebrow, “I thought you said you trusted me.”

“I do!” Daniel backpedaled.

“Okay then,” Daisy bit back a smile. “Just checking. Besides, if anything, I might have underordered. I didn’t want to seem unladylike on our first date.”

Before Daniel could comment, the man behind the makeshift counter called their order number. They collected their food and made their way over to nearby picnic tables. 

Sitting down with their unassuming white styrofoam plate, loaded with tacos, Daisy picked one up and advised, “I recommend you start with the carne asada.” 

Daniel did as he was told and grabbed a taco covered in crema and guacamole, A few bites in, Daniel commented, “Okay, you definitely didn’t oversell it. These are amazing.”

As Daisy predicted, the food quickly disappeared, until all that was left was empty plates and wrappers.

“Oh crap, is that the time?” Daisy said, looking down at her phone. She patted Daniel’s leg, “Come on, we have to get going or we’ll miss part two of what I have planned.”

Daniel smiled, “There’s a part two?”

Daisy nodded, “Uh-huh. But not if we don’t get a move on!”

They got back in Daisy’s car and a short while later, they were at their destination.

As Daisy pulled into the parking lot, Daniel did a double take at the sign, which read Forever Hollywood Cemetery.

“First, a tire shop, now a cemetery. I don’t know what I expected tonight, but it definitely wasn’t this,” Daniel laughed.

“Hey, I’m just making sure you get the authentic L.A. experience,” Daisy said. “But actually, they show movies here on the weekend. This week is Casablanca.”

“That makes much more sense,” Daniel nodded. “And I love classic films. There is just something about movies from that golden age of cinema.”

“I had a feeling you might,” Daisy said. “Mind grabbing that bag out of the trunk?” 

Daniel grabbed it dutifully and they followed the crowd onto the grounds. When they got to the ticket booth, she reached for her wallet but Daniel waved her off, “You got the tacos, let me get the tickets.”

When they got into the cemetery, they found an empty piece of grass in front of the screen and laid down the blanket.

“Alright, so I brought a variety of snack and drink options, since I wasn’t sure what you liked,” Daisy explained. “We’ve got candy, popcorn, chips and then on the drink side, water, soda, beer, wine and some spiked seltzers.”

“You thought of everything,” Daniel said, fishing out a beer from the bag Daisy had packed. “This is great, thank you.”

They both staked out separate spots on the blanket and chatted happily while they waited for it to get dark enough to start. As the movie progressed, the couple inched closer and closer together. By the time the credits rolled, Daisy had curled up next to him and rested her head on Daniel’s shoulder.

* * *

When they got back to their apartment building, they were still laughing and holding hands.

Instead of leaving her at the elevator, Daniel walked her all the way to her door.

“I had a really great time tonight,” Daniel said. “Thanks for showing me a new side of L.A.”

“I’m glad-- I did too,” Daisy blushed, as she fiddled with her keys.

Daniel closed the small gap between them and pulled Daisy in for a kiss. Daisy leaned into it, lightly pressing her hand to his chest.

When they broke apart, Daisy murmured, “That was nice.” 

“It was,” Daniel grinned and nodded in agreement.

Daisy bit her lip and hesitated for a beat before asking, “You want to come in for a bit?”

Daniel looked torn, “I would love to-- really I would, but I should go check on Penny. Raincheck?”

Daisy leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his lips, “Definitely.”

“I better go,” Daniel groaned. “I’ll text you later.”

“You better-- I know where you live,” Daisy teased. 

Daniel pulled himself away and walked in the direction of the elevator. Daisy opened her door, but lingered in the doorway until Daniel got on the elevator and they gave each other one last wave goodnight.

Closing the door behind her, Daisy couldn’t stop smiling. As far as first dates went, this one had been pretty perfect.

Maybe there was something to be said for dating the boy next door after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't mind me, I'm still having fun putting Dousy in AU settings! Hope you enjoyed. As always you can find me on tumblr @accio-the-force! Come say hi :)


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